Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a warning on Wednesday that Sri Lanka's security forces are still harassing families of enforced disappearance victims, despite ongoing promises of reform from the government. The organization pointed out that the administration of President Dissanayake, which has been in power for nearly a year, has made minimal efforts to alter the deep-seated patterns of repression that plague the nation.

According to HRW, families of individuals last seen in military custody are facing ongoing threats and meddling, particularly when they engage with international mechanisms such as the UN Human Rights Council and the Sri Lanka Accountability Project. Such international bodies have also noted the continued impunity for wartime abuses and the lack of answers provided to the families affected.

The UN Human Rights Council, in a recent report, highlighted persistent intimidation by police and intelligence agencies, especially in the Tamil-dominated Northern and Eastern Provinces. These areas see heightened surveillance and questioning of those seeking information about their missing loved ones, with families often experiencing pressure extended even to their children.

Domestic insights align with these international concerns. The 2024 US Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka documented similar patterns of harassment and intimidation. Journalists, civil society actors, and ordinary citizens in the aforementioned regions face significant risks, including threats and reprisals for reporting on sensitive issues like enforced disappearances.

Despite these challenges, there have been some efforts within the Sri Lankan judiciary to confront issues of custodial abuse. A notable 2023 ruling by the Supreme Court found police officers responsible for the custodial death of a petitioner’s husband, acknowledging the rights violations and rejecting conflicting police accounts.

Nevertheless, HRW emphasizes that these isolated judicial efforts are insufficient in the face of widespread and ongoing abuse and intimidation. The organization has called for the Human Rights Council to renew its mandate for monitoring Sri Lanka, stressing that domestic mechanisms have consistently failed to hold perpetrators accountable.

Without robust international oversight, warns HRW, families of the disappeared will likely continue to be targets of repression, and those responsible for wartime atrocities will remain at large, shielded by impunity. This call to action underscores the critical need for sustained global engagement to ensure justice and accountability in Sri Lanka.